simonetta Berruti's Profile

From: Italy
Joined: April 06, 2008
www.simonettaberruti.com

About simonetta:

Biography
Born in Varese, I moved to Prato (20 Km to Florence) where I studied the
classics and received my degree in antique literature in the archeological
context (etruscology).

At the same time I began to be interested in sculpture , at first guided by
Leonetto Tintori, famous painter and restaurer of frescoes and successively
from 1991, ceramics with the sculptor and potter Salvatore Cipolla.

In 1995 I founded together with other four ceramicists the group "Keramèia",
with which I exhibited in diverse cities.

From 1998 onwards I have continued the activity of sculptress and ceramicist
on my own partcipating in solo and group exhibitions.

About my art concept, my sculptures must seem more natural as possible: the artistic works must be like a a natural object , shells , stones,a big grain of rice, the leaves, the bones.The artistic intervention must seems a secondary part respect to a work that must live for own tension.

For ll my ceramic works I used grès.The glazes used for these sculptures are all glazes fired in an oxidizing atmosphere in an electric kiln oven at 1200 degrees.
The other type of procedure, only possible in gas ovens, is the so-called “reduction” method in which oxygen is removed during a determinant phase of the firing, in order to create a chemical reaction and consequently chromatic variations in the glazes.

The formula of the white glaze is formed by a composition, its major component is feldspathic sodium, calcium carbonate, magnesium carbonate, baric carbonate, zinc oxide and bentonite. From this base other coloured oxides are added at variable percentages ( cobalt oxides for blues and greys ) and oxides based on praseodymium and zirconium ( for yellows and greens).

The red – yellowish highlighting are the result of the addition of glazes derived from iron such as ilmenite and rutile which create a more “vibrant” and less dull effect on the surface.

All sculptures in this gallery are created by the technique ”lucignolo”, which is by hand; rolling the clay in long strands and building up the form. It is an extremely slow procedure which however permits the creation of even large dimension forms consisting in starting from a base from which small pieces are slowing added and modelled according to the desired form. Given the plasticity of the material, the work must often be suspended in order to wait for the ground to consolidate.
Once the form is complete and the surface is “ leathery hard” one intervenes with small pointed instruments, lamé and steel needles to create the engraved reticulated and corroded effect which is a dominant characteristic of the works exhibited.